Knocking About the Naco: Pennsylvanian Sponges and Corals

[DPS Ammonite]

Lack of snow cover and warmer than average temps allowed me to explore and collect sponges and corals from the Pennsylvanian Naco Formation in central  Arizona, north of Payson. Widespread chert of the Beta Member suggests that silicious sponges may have been common. Several have been identified but many more exist. I have seen and collected several undescribed species. Dilliard and Rigby have described several sponges including Chaunactis olsoni  which I found in the area: 

The New Demosponges, Chaunactis olsoni and. Haplistion nacoense, and Associated Sponges from the. Pennsylvanian Naco Formation, Central Arizona. by DILLIARD  and RIGBY      http://geology.byu.edu/Home/sites/default/files/geo_stud_vol_46_dilliard_rigby.pdf   EDIT:  geo_stud_vol_46_dilliard_rigby.pdf

 

Photo 1a. Detail of undesribed sponge. Marks are 1/16th inch. Any ideas?

Photo 2.   3/4 quater view of sponge in photo 1a. Note red 1/3 to 2/3 inch thick pancake-like form of sponge.

Photo 4.   Top of another similiar sponge. Marks are 1/16th inch.

 

 

Help me ID 2 corals and one sponge.

 

Photo 3. Coral, Multithecopora?, which has been reported from the Naco many miles to the south.

Photo 5.  Probably Chaetetes, a side view.

Photo 5a. Top of Chaetetes.

Photo 6.  Horn Coral, Zaphrentis?

 

 

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[DPS Ammonite]

@Arizona Chris have you seen any of these fossils from the Naco?

[Fossildude19]

 

 1a                                                                                                                            2.

  

 

3.                                                                                                                      4.

        

 

5.                                                                                                                                     5a.                       

    

 

 

6.

[Arizona Chris]

I think that spaghetti like Coral we have called siringapora in the past.   you have found some great sponges there!

[abyssunder]

Syringopora is still a valid taxon, as far as I know...also, it has a S. bifurcata species, but that was Silurian.

[Pachy]

For the Chaetetid (5-5a)

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257559077_Hypercalcified_Extant_and_Fossil_Chaetetid-Type_and_Post-Devonian_Stromatoporoid-Type_Demospongiae_Systematic_Descriptions

[Shamalama]

Sweet sponges!